image via thingsweheart.com
Last night, I decided to make Southwest Red Pepper Bisque soup from the Vera Bradley cookbook. Yeah…..I made it. But, let me assure you it started out soup: 1 Heather: nothing! This soup really was made with love as it was part of DH’s list of things he wanted to try to cook. I thought it would make for a good surprise. And, surprise it was, for me as well unfortunately!
The night started off as usual, work till 5:30, teach Pure Barre class at 5:30, take a Pure Barre class at 6:35, head home to make dinner for DH before he gets off from his 12 hour work day. Busy season + being an accountant= crappy schedule.
I pull out the recipe, remembering I didn’t think it looked that difficult. Then, you guessed it…..it all went down hill from there. First of all, is it possible to be allergic to the smell of onions? I know they make most people cry, but I ugly cry when I cut onions. We’re talking mascara running down my face, squinty eyes so blurry that I can’t see and my nose starts to itch. My DH and I have a deal worked out where he usually cuts the onions when home–obviously this was not the case. To prove said point about blurry, teary eyes, I began spilling blood from my cut finger…lovely, I know.
Then, I realized the recipe called for a dutch oven. I still have no idea what a dutch oven is, so I used a big pot which DH told me he thought was a dutch oven later on that night. Is this true?!
Next, I had never had to fire roast anything before, nor did I know how to. Well, it turns out as an improvisation I put the oven on broil and went to town after calling my mom for the 2nd time for advice. I noted 8-10 minutes later, my peppers still weren’t roasting.
Then the light bulb went on. ***talking to self: Heather, why are they not getting done? I called momma (what else are you supposed to do?!) of course. As I began talking to her for the ahem, sheepishly notes….4th TIME! I realized that perhaps the rack should be on the top level of the oven for roasting to happen. She assures me this is correct. Without further ado, I move the shelf of the oven with the cookie sheet holding the peppers to the top level spilling red peppers all over the kitchen floor. As said move is made, I burn my hand slightly. No big deal at this point.
Long story short, I needed to have cooked rice ready for the next part of the recipe which I then had to scurry to cook. I just assumed it would cook in the soup. Then realized I had no food processor, but a blender would have to do. I realized the blender was dirty, so as I was washing it, of course I cut another finger on the prong inside of it. Finally coming to a smart decision, maybe my first of the night, I vowed to myself to never make this d*** soup again.
As soon as DH walked in the door, I promptly told him that whether he liked the soup or not he had better pretend that he did at least until the next day. He proceeded to tell me that I had to be the messiest cook ever. Luckily, I can laugh about these things even at this point, lucky for him! This mess he mentioned included aforementioned spilt peppers, onions and tomato sauce on the floor, dishes piled high in the sink, sticky counters, and my wounded finger wrapped in bloody gauze. I failed (read: chose not to)inform DH that I actually had started cleaning up as I had been cooking. Let’s just keep that our little secret.
Believe it or not, DH told me that this soup was legitimately his 2nd favorite thing I have ever made. Don’t worry, I asked again today just to make sure he wasn’t lying to me the night before to protect my sanity. I haven’t told him this yet either, but trust me if we make this soup again, he gets to wear the chef’s hat.
Apparently, the soup comes in 2nd place to our famous meat loaf. I promise you this is not just any meatloaf. I HATE, LOATHE, and DESPISE most meatloaf. But this meatloaf is SO good, we’re pretty much known for it! I’ll try to get that recipe down for you all soon, if you want it, that is.
Do any of you have any kitchen disasters to share? The answers about dutch ovens and onions…the list could go on….
Without further ado though, here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
1/3 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c. reduced-fat sour cream
2 t. milk
1/2 t. salt
2 t. olive oil
2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 1/2 pounds red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, chopped
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. chili powder
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves
3/4 c. cooked long grain rice
1/2 c. water
2 (10-ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 c. milk
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Directions:
Combine the cilantro, sour cream, milk and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Saute until light brown. Stir in the roasted peppers, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the rice, water, and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover partially and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Process in batches in a food processor until smooth. Return to the Dutch oven. Stir in milk, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until heated through; do not boil. Ladle into soup bowls and top with sour cream mixture.
I wish you better luck with the preparation of this soup than I had!
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sounds horrid! …I've heard that if you leave the little 'root' end on the onion, it won't be as potent to cut! Not sure how well that actually works, because I happen to be blessed with 'onion eyes of steel.'
This is a sweet blog post. I"m assuming you and your dh are newlyweds? Remember this night, it will become a family legend.
A dutch oven is basically a pot with a lid. It has to be heavy bottomed and have sides, but smaller than a stock pot. Some dutch ovens have legs for open fire cooking (like for camping)
I have had a few of these days, and I am exactly the same with the onions! My secret, I wear sunglasses! Yes in the house while im cutting onions
I recently bought a hand chopper that you push down a few times and viola' diced onions.
Haha, you sound like me when I try a new recipe! Things are everywhere, I'm such a clutz, I have to call my Dad (the chef in our house) at least twice, I don't know what anything is… yeah, not pretty. But it came out good, right? And I can totally sympathize with the busy season thing. My boyfriend is an auditor at one of the big 4 firms, and 12-hour days are nothing… we're getting into 14-hour days now, plus 10-hour Saturdays. Ugh. Thankfully, I don't have to make him dinner; they order in dinner for him at work.
Heather, this was HILARIOUS (sorry)! I guess I should have come over so I could help you with that damn soup! What does DH stand for? And this famous meatloaf… might this be the meatloaf recipe that I gave you??? Which, I ironicly made last night!
Hi, Fun post. I have a kitchen disaster every night. I am a great cook with terrible timing so the rice thing is par for the course with me. Ditto for the blender. About the onions, some are much milder than others and you can't go by the bag description. In the South we sometimes eat a slice of onion with certain meals, but sometimes you buy onions that are "sweet" only to find that they are so "sweet" they will burn a hole clear through your tongue. Keep looking around for other onions until you find some that aren't so potent. Sometimes putting them in the fridge for a while before cutting will help, but never store onions in the fridge uncut for long. Farmers market onions are generally milder and sweeter and you have the added bonus of knowing from whence it came.Dutch ovens are just big heavy pots with oven safe lids that can be used on top of the stove or in the oven. French ovens are the same thing but made by Le Creuset. Mine is a huge porcelain coated cast iron behemoth that weighs more than my teenager. I love, love, love it (even though said teenager has to remove it from the oven for me). Braised beef or lamb shanks are terrific made in a dutch oven. I use mine at least twice a week.
Yes, Paula B52 we are newlyweds. I don't know how in the world you can tell.
I so appreciate all of your tips and advice, Lord knows I need it! And, yes Sarah you know I got that meatloaf recipe from you/Krissy and its AWESOME! Thank goodness for seasoned pros like you all to help me out and laugh at our zaniness!
OH! And DH means Dear Husband. I got a real kick out of my husband tonight. After reading this post he asked if it meant Damn Husband, hahaha!
I figure if there isnt a mess, then real cooking is not going on!Have a great week!
Oh that sounds so awful!! I have had cooking adventures that end like that!! It is so frustrating! I always get so upset when that kind of thing happens. One time I was busy trying to cook a while bunch of different things and I wound up destroying all of them. I was cooking beans and I overcooked them and burnt them. So I took the pot off the stove top, meanwhile the bread I was cooking beeped I pulled it out and put it on top of the oven and it was in a glass dish so that exploded all over my kitchen – including into the soup I was making. It was a mess!!
I think you are AMAZING for even trying. It sounds super complicated. Good for you! Aren't you thankful that you don't have experiences like that all the time? It would make you never cook again, right? : )
I too am a messy cook. It just seems to make the food taste better!
Oh, goodness! What a mess. The recipe looks good, though. Stopping by from SITS.
I do the same thing when I cook (failing to completely read through the recipe only to find out while cooking that there are things I either don't have or don't know how to do) – At least it turned out to be good, though. It looks delicious. I think soup is one of those things that's fun to make
yup I've had days like those. worst thing is often I stumble across a great concoction only to find that I can't duplicate it. Happy FB on SITS day!
What an ordeal! I'm glad that it had a happy ending, yielding a yummy soup despite the numerous trials and tribulations. The recipe does sound good, and your photo is lovely. I've heard of people who are particularly sensitive to onions. If you find yourself having to chop a bunch for a recipe again, try goggles
oh my… this sounds like an episode i would have in the kitchen! especially the onions… you and i must be super allergic or something. i wear a pair of cheap swimming goggles when i chop onions because i literally will be crying so hard i can't see within seconds of chopping!the soup sounds yummy though!